Obituaries

Oliver W. Petty ( Missoula 1943 )

posted: Apr 12, 2014

Oliver, 99, died April 6, 2014, in Albany, Oregon. After attending Eugene Bible College he graduated from Oregon State with a degree in forestry management in 1940. He was a conscientious objector during WWII and was in the first group of CO’s to train as smokejumpers in 1943. He jumped all three years of the CPS-103 program and finished with 39 jumps.

Oliver was a beekeeper after the war and established Fairview Apiaries also known as Gibson Hill Honey Farm. He was ahead of his times in the field and was instrumental in convincing farmers to rent bees to improve their crop yields. Oliver was a member of the American Beekeepers Assoc. for over 60 years and extensively traveled abroad.